Page 35 of Ice
“I’m taking you to my room now. I’ll get you a drink of something to calm your nerves, and we’ll talk, and then I’m gonna hold you while you sleep.”
Sixteen
Shedidn’targue,andI wouldn’t have listened anyway. Something had happened to her. Something had shaken her, upset her, and there was no fucking way I was letting her out of my sight. Whatever it was, she’d called me. ME. Of all of the people she could call for help, it made me feel like a fucking king that she called me. And so I was gonna step up, and give her everything she fucking needed.Everything.
The bar had a couple of brothers nursing drinks, but nobody paid any attention to us, so I led Lissa up to my room, and closed the door behind us, locking it, so no fucker could interrupt us.
I led her to the sofa and sat her down, finding her way too pliant, and subdued. Normally strong, and feisty, she was like a watered down version of herself. I reached the kitchen before I realised my mistake.
“Fuck.”
I turned to look at Lissa, and she just blandly stared back at me. What the fuck had happened to her?
“I was gonna get you a drink, but I don’t keep alcohol in my room. Let me go down to the bar and get you something. Anything you want.”
She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have any more tonight, because… well, clearly I’ve had too much already.”
“You’re gonna fucking tell me in a minute, Lissa. First, coffee.”
I made us both a drink and sat down with her. Not opposite her, but on the sofa beside her, as close as I could fucking get.
“Talk.”
She let out a soft sigh.
“I messed up, Ice. I really fucking messed up. I’m done. I’m going to lose my job over this.”
Hell. “Is it something I did? I shouldn’t have hit on you, I know that, it’s just I fucking want you. I want you so fucking much.”
She finally looked at me, her cheeks pink.
“You do? I mean… we’re nothing alike, and I shouldn’t be… I shouldn’t be involved with you when I’m your therapist.”
“Then quit. I mean, put someone else on my case. It’s simple, really.”
She swallowed hard, her hands twisting together in her lap, until I grabbed one and held it in mine.
“What happened?”
“I was a mess after I saw you today. I was… well, I was caught up in thinking about you, and wanting to talk to you, and you didn’t message, and I didn’t know why you were-”
“What the fuck? I did. I sent you a message, and I asked you to book me for tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t, but it’s okay. It’s not like you owe me anything, but I got stressed about it, and I drank. I uh, I drank too much. And then I somehow decided to drive here to see you.”
“You did what?” She tried to drive to me when she’d been drinking? What the actual fuck? She was smarter than that, right?
“I think I was speeding or something. The one time I’ve ever driven when I was probably over the limit, and I got caught, and even if I hadn’t, what the fuck was I thinking? Why did I do something so stupid?”
This was the last thing I’d expected and, oddly, I was relieved. Pissed as hell that she could have had an accident, but relieved that no fucker’s hands had been on her. I’d have cut them off at the wrists. No, at the elbows.
“Ice?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you mad at me?”
“For driving under the influence? Yeah, kinda. I mean, I know we’re bikers, and we might occasionally take risks, but that’s not something even I would do. I’m out on my bike, and I’m already on that line, because bikers always come off worse in an accident. We can’t risk drinking when we’re gonna ride… I’m actually shocked.”
